Hurricane Research Team Arrives in Northeast to Meet Sandy

Texas Tech Hurricane Research Team preparing to deploy StickNet probes.

Sandy returned to hurricane strength Saturday as it churned toward the U.S. northeast
coast where it threatens to become one of the worst storms in decades. The storm,
dubbed “Frankenstorm” by some weather watchers, would combine elements of a tropical
cyclone, and a winter storm and is forecast to reach the U.S. coast close to Halloween.

John Schroeder, professor of atmospheric science, is a charter member and director of the team.
He is an expert on how hurricanes interact with man’s built environment at landfall
and has been actively intercepting hurricanes since 1998.

“Our hurricane research team is dedicated to mitigating the effects of land-falling
hurricanes on life and property,” Schroeder said. “To that end, we deploy instrumented
towers that gather high-resolution storm data at a time when most conventional observation
systems fail.”

Schroeder explained that once the instruments are set, team members head for safety
until the storm passes.

“We try to place everything and get out of the way before the wind gets much above
tropical storm force (39 mph),” he said. “Any later, and things start falling, like
tree branches, power lines and other debris, which increases the danger and limits
the team’s mobility.”

Follow the team through status updates and pictures on Facebook. Media requests should be sent to karin.slyker@ttu.edu. Each will be acknowledged and fulfilled as conditions permit.